- Updates from the Islands -

- - the Bahamas - -

• From: "Anita Rolle" <anitarolle AT hotmail.com>
• Date: Sat, 09 Oct 2004 13:39:40 -0400

• From: CDERA Information Unit <pubinfo AT cdera.org>
• Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 17:26:50 GMT

ISSUED BY: Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA)
DATE: September 28, 2004
TIME: 1:00 pm


Bridgetown, Sep 27, 2004 - The islands of Abaco and Grand Bahamas have been 
declared disaster areas by Prime Minister the Right Honourable Perry G. 
Christie. 

Both islands, in the northern Bahamas, sustained substantial damage from 
Hurricane Frances in August and Hurricane Jeanne last weekend.

The Government has appealed for regional and international assistance to 
provide immediate emergency relief to the residents of both islands and also 
for the reconstruction which is to follow.

• From: CDERA Information Unit <pubinfo AT cdera.org>
• Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 18:45:09 GMT

ISSUED BY: Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA)
DATE: September 27, 2004
TIME: 2:00 pm

SITUATION UPDATE
  
The Event: Hurricane Jeanne impacted the northwestern Bahamas including the 
Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama 
Island and New Providence September 25 – 26, 2004.  Storm surges, heavy rains 
and hurricane/storm force winds caused wind damage and flooding as Hurricane 
Jeanne moved across the Islands. Several areas were evacuated and thousands 
weathered the storm in shelters


Preliminary Reports
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the Bahamas has provided the 
following initial report:

Abaco           Heavy flooding, Sandy Point suffered 1/3 water damage           
                6-10 houses destroyed
                7-10 houses severely damaged

Grand Bahama    E.O.C sustained some damage
                Search & Rescue Teams rescued 13 persons including children
                Grand Cay extensive damage
                Roof damage reported
                Sweetings Cay suffered damage

Bimini          Experienced 8-10 feet seas
                Erosion at Beach front east Coast
                
Eleuthera       Experienced tropical storm conditions – winds 35-40 mph
                No major damage reported. 
                3 feet of water in some areas
                Shingles lost from homes on Mainland

Berry Islands   Experienced winds 70-80mph, seas 5-6 feet high
                Most homes damaged from previous Hurricane are now leaking
                Flooding in low lying areas
                Major erosion to the Cause-Way
                Some damage to schools

Reconnaissance flights conducted on September 26 over Grand Bahama and Abaco 
reported that airports/airstrips at Marsh Harbour, Sandy Point and Treasure 
Cay, and Walker’s Cay are usable.

Teams are presently deployed to conduct preliminary assessment

Electricity and water have been restored to many areas

All Roads were cleared in Bimini

Supplies of water were airlifted to Moore’s Island

The CDERA Coordinator, Mr. Jeremy Collymore is presently enroute to the Bahamas 
to meet with local officials and to receive first hand updates on the situation.

Further SITREPS on the situation in the Bahamas will be issued as necessary.

• From: "Vicki at Ocean Reef" <inaminute AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 09:02:32 -0400

Jeanne continued to roar through the night with strong southerly winds and
driving rain, but as we awoke this morning we were very happy to see the
damage was not near as bad as Frances.  There are some poles down, some more
roof tiles missing, additional water damage to rooms, we are without power
and water but the rain has stopped, the sky is brightening, everyone is
starting to clean up.  All the boats and docks here at Ocean Reef made it
through okay.  Thankfully the water never rose more than a foot ot two
beyond the high tide mark on the south side of Grand Bahama.  Reports from
friends who have been driving around town confirm this situation in other
parts of Freeport as well.  Let's hope this is the last storm this year!
Vicki

• From: "Vicki at Ocean Reef" <inaminute AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2004 19:54:46 -0400

7:45 pm EDT Freeport, Grand Bahama

Don't ask me how we still have an internet connection!!??

Hurricane Jeanne is upon us now...exactly 3 weeks after the destruction of
Hurricane Frances.  Since early this morning the wind and rain has been
non-stop and increasing in intensity.  The winds started out NE but are now
blowing from the SW, well over 100mph and it is high tide, which coupled
with the storm surge has brought the water level near the top of the walls
in our canals here on the south side.  It is dark now so I cannot see too
much more but the storm has not abated at all since about 4pm - continuing
with heavy rain and a strong SW wind.  All of the boats in the marina at
Ocean Reef Yacht Club are holding well, but lines are worn from the last
hurricane and the docks and poles as well.  Daylight will tell if any of the
boats have been damaged.  The gray building lost most of its roof in Frances
and the repairs have been coming along quickly.  As of now, 7:50pm, the
plywood repair is still holding, only the tarps have blown off which will
add to the water damage in the rooms.  The white townhouses are holding
fine - that's where I am now.  Our concern would be if the water level rose
another 3 feet or so.  The last satellite image I saw had the eye about 20
miles NW of us and moving away.  Jeanne is moving at 14mph so hopefully
she'll be past quickly.  Here on Grand Bahama we were hit heavily by
Frances...this can only make matters worse.

Will update as able.

Vicki at Ocean Reef Resort & Yacht Club
Freeport, Grand Bahama
www.oryc.com

• From: "Bridget Hogg" <adelphi AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2004 20:36:23 -0400

Its after 8pm Saturday. The trees have been blasted again, but fewer fell
down this time. Jeanne was a kinder lady than Frances, at least on this
eastern side of New Providence. The wind seemed much less fierce. There was
very little flying debris observed. All utilities are currently working
properly at this end. Thats a welcom change from last time , with Frances
when we  lost everything for a while.Local news reports indicate that Grand
Bahama and Abaco were very much battered by Jeanne. Our thoughts and prayers
go out to all who need them. We are in this active hurricane season
together.

• From: Kimberly King-Burns <kkingburns AT convergenz.com>
• Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2004 10:08:47 -0700

Early reports from Harbour Island and North Eleuthera suggest that Jeanne 
held to a more northern path than predicted ...

*****

Ben Knox reports from Harbour Island:
Hi all,

Had a quick look outside just now and there is far less damage than after 
Frances. There are just a few small branches blown down here and there, and 
palm leaves dotted around on the ground. The beach doesn't appear to have 
been eroded any more.

Overnight, the winds were certainly much weaker than Frances, and came 
initially from the Northwest, and then moved around to roughly Southwest. 
The power stayed on pretty much all night, until about 5 or 6am (it's still 
off at the moment - 9:20am).

I haven't been into town yet. Things are calming down now, with periods of 
rain squalls and wind gusts. The phones seem to be working ok for incoming 
and outgoing calls.

*****

Hurricane Jeanne Slams Bahamas on Way to Florida
Noon - 25 September
By Michael Christie

MIAMI (Reuters) - Deadly Hurricane Jeanne strengthened rapidly as it 
crossed the northern Bahamas on Saturday on its way to deliver a record 
fourth hurricane strike in one season to densely populated Florida.

Up to 3 million storm-weary Floridians were told to evacuate coastal 
islands, mobile homes and flood-prone areas. Others battened down the 
hatches one more time, stocking up on batteries, water and gasoline and 
shuttering homes, or streamed into public shelters.

Many on the storm-scarred Atlantic coast, emboldened by having survived 
Hurricane Frances three weeks ago, vowed to remain at home, an act of 
defiance that alarmed authorities.

As Jeanne's 115 mph winds, up from 105 mph overnight, and 8-foot storm 
surge lashed Great Abaco island in the Bahamas, a 700-island chain of 
300,000 people stretching from Haiti to off the Florida coast, U.S. 
officials urged residents not to be complacent.

Gov. Jeb Bush said people living in Florida's coastal areas could not 
assume they could ride out Jeanne just because they had survived the 
previous hurricanes.

"People on the barrier islands who think they can ride this storm out 
should think again," Bush, brother of President Bush (news - web sites), 
told reporters. "It is getting bigger and stronger."

By 11 a.m., the storm, which has already killed up to 2,000 people in Haiti 
and 31 in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, was just west of Marsh 
Harbour, Great Abaco, at latitude 26.6 north and longitude 77.6 west, or 
155 miles east of Florida.

Jeanne picked up speed overnight and was traveling westward at 14 mph.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (news - web sites) warned the storm, now 
a strong Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane 
intensity, could strengthen further over warm water between the Bahamas and 
the southeastern United States.

Along Florida's Atlantic coast, including the densely populated counties of 
Broward and Miami-Dade, 3 million residents were told to evacuate.

MILLIONS IN HARM'S WAY
State officials said computer models showed 4.7 million of the state's 17 
million people were in harm's way, and estimated that 1.2 million buildings 
could be damaged, leaving around 142,000 families without homes.

In some parts of the likely strike zone near Ft. Pierce in St. Lucie 
county, home owners have barely had time to patch over damaged roofs with 
blue tarpaulin, or to clear piles of tree limbs and debris left behind by 
Hurricane Frances, or the soggy remnants of Hurricane Ivan last week.

"It's horrible. This is just unprecedented," said St. Lucie county 
emergency management spokeswoman Linette Trabulsy.

When Jeanne comes ashore on Florida as expected late on Saturday or early 
Sunday, it will make history -- the first time since records began in 1851 
that Florida has been walloped by four hurricanes in a single Atlantic 
storm season. The season lasts from June to the end of November.

Hurricane Charley kicked off a season likely to dent the state's reputation 
as a tourist destination when it slammed ashore on the southwest Gulf Coast 
on Aug. 13 as a Category 4 storm -- the second most powerful. It had winds 
of 145 mph, killed 33 people and caused $7.4 billion in insured damages.

Frances, a weaker but much larger storm with 105 mph winds, spread 
destruction along the Atlantic coast on Sept. 5, killing 30 and causing 
$4.4 billion in damages.

Ivan, at one point the sixth most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever 
recorded, ripped into the Gulf Coast between Florida and Alabama with 130 
mph winds on Sept. 16, killing at least 45 people across the United States 
and causing up to $6 billion in damages.

"It's all part of living in Florida. You live in California, you deal with 
earthquakes. You live in Texas, you deal with drought and fire. You live in 
Kansas, you deal with tornadoes. I'd rather live somewhere it's warm," said 
Broward county emergency management spokeswoman Alinda Montfort.

In the Bahamas, residents of Grand Bahama and Great Abaco islands, both 
still recovering from the ravages of Frances, packed into shelters.

Silbert Mills, chairman of Abaco's disaster preparedness committee, said 
there was a feeling of "ubiquitous melancholy" on the island in the face of 
the approaching storm. (Additional reporting by Frances Kerry in Miami, 
Michael Peltier in Tallahassee and John Marquis in Nassau, Bahamas)

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News and Information for Harbour Island & North Eleuthera, Bahamas
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[It's much better in the Out Islands.] - Coordinates: 25°30'N 76°38'W

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• From: "Bridget Hogg" <adelphi AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2004 08:20:17 -0400

Its after 8am Saturday morning. The sky is hazy gray. The wind has picked up
a bit, causing trees to bow and sway. There is continuous
rain...........varying in intensity from a light spray to a pelting
downpour. Here at the eastern end of the island we still have all utilities.
Folks here are shuttered up and just waiting for Jeanne to hurry up and get
out of here. ZNS TV is  conducting a phone survey of the islands, speaking
to various persons in the islands and finding out what the status and
conditions are on the islands.

We continue to take all neccessary precautions, and to pray for all  those
affected by this active hurricane season.

• From: Kimberly King-Burns <kkingburns AT convergenz.com>
• Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 17:04:59 -0700

Hurricane relief desk opens
24 September 2004

By RAYMOND KONGWA, Guardian Staff Reporter

House repairs, rent, financial and food assistance make up the hardship 
relief Government is extending to certain groups affected by Hurricane 
Frances.

Minister of Social Services and Community Development Melanie Griffin 
announced Thursday that a Hurricane Relief Desk had been set up in the 
Department of Social Services "to assist qualified old age pensioners, 
persons with disabilities and other persons with limited income who are 
incurring hardship due in the aftermath of Hurricane Frances."

The relief desk would receive and process applications; follow-up on 
referrals to ensure appropriate distribution; and partner with private 
sector groups to provide additional aid. The following were listed as 
requirements for eligibilty:

* All applicants must be 18 years or older

* Applications for assistance must be related to Hurricane France.

* Old age pensioners, persons with disabilities and other persons without 
sufficient income to affect repairs or replace losses occasioned by the 
hurricane.

* Applicants must own and occupy the home for which requests are made for 
repairs

* Applicants must be without hurricane insurance coverage

* Applicants must be suffering genuine hardship due to damages and/or 
losses sustained from Hurricane Frances

The Minister said teams from various government agencies had conducted 
door-to-door assessments in badly affected Grand Bahama and Family Island 
Communities. However in cases where persons were missed, applications could 
be made to Department offices in the respective districts.

Persons affected in New Providence were advised to make application at the 
following locations:

* Clarence Bain Building, Thompson Boulevard (tel 326-0526, 326-0451)

* Munnings Building, Nassau Street (tel 322-7121)

* National Insurance Building, Wulff Road (tel 356-9391)

* National Insurance Building, Fox Hill (tel 364-7224)

The deadline for applications is Friday Oct. 29, 2004. The assessment 
process began Sept. 6 and has been completed in North Andros, The Berry 
Islands, Cat Island and San Salvador, Mrs Griffin announced.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Briland Modem
<www.briland.com>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News and Information for Harbour Island & North Eleuthera, Bahamas
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[It's much better in the Out Islands.] - Coordinates: 25°30'N 76°38'W

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• From: "angela culmer" <angelaculmer AT msn.com>
• Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 18:47:50 -0400

Hello There From Nassau The Bahamas,
Well here we go again another hurricane. It has been frantic out there. The 
shops are full, the gas station have long lines and you cannot move for the 
traffic.
I really feel for the people of Grand Bahama, as they have not recovered 
from Francis and they are facing another one. I just want to let them know 
we have not forgotton them and we will be thinking and praying for them and 
after this is over we will do what we can to help.
SO far the sun is still shining . Will keep in touch as long as possible
God Bless
Angela CUlmer

_________________________________________________________________
Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online 
http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963

• From: CDERA Information Unit <pubinfo AT cdera.org>
• Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 20:44:00 GMT

ISSUED BY: Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA)
DATE: Sep 16, 2004
TIME: 5:00 pm

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Hurricane Jeanne which passed over Haiti as a Tropical Storm and killed more 
than 1,000 people is now headed towards the northern Bahamas where a hurricane 
warning is in effect;

2. The Emergency Operations Centre in the Bahamas is still activated. The 
National Emergency Management Agency has advised that particular attention is 
being placed on the Abacos and Grand Bahama Islands where it is anticipated 
that flooding is likely to be the main hazard. Persons on these islands have 
been advised to evacuate low lying coastal areas and to go into shelters. Teams 
deployed during the response to Frances are still on the ground in these 
islands and are being used to support the preparations for the impact of 
Jeanne. Recovery Centres which were established following the impact of 
Hurricane Frances will also be available to assist residents as necessary;

3. A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the northwestern Bahamas which includes 
the Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama 
Island, and New Providence.  A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane force 
conditions are expected within the next 24 hours;

4. Grand Bahama Island was hit the hardest by Hurricane Frances three weeks ago 
and the international airport on the island was destroyed;

5. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the central Bahamas which includes 
Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador.  A Tropical 
Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected in the warning 
area in the next 24 hours;

6. San Salvador was the island over which the eye of Hurricane Frances passed 
three weeks ago but the infrastructure was able to withstand Frances' poweful 
winds;

7. At 5 pm the center of Hurricane Jeanne was located near latitude 26.4 north 
and longitude 73.5 west or about 225 miles east of Great Abaco Island. Jeanne 
is mvoing westward as 12 mph which would cause the hurricane to make landfall 
on Saturday. Maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph making Jeanne a Category 
Two hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Hurricane force winds extend outward 
to 45 miles and storm force winds up to 150 miles. The National Hurricane 
Centre says that up to 10 inches of rain is possible along the path of Jeanne;

8. The CDERA Coordinating Unit in Barbados remains on 24-hour call to respond 
should The Bahamas request support;

9. Updated information on the hurricane track and forecasts as well as 
situation reports from The Bahamas can be read at www.cdera.org

• From: "Anita Rolle" <anitarolle AT hotmail.com>
• Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 16:48:07 -0400

• From: Kimberly King-Burns <kkingburns AT convergenz.com>
• Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 11:05:05 -0700

Hurricane Jeanne Update
Friday, September 24, 2004
North Eleuthera - Bahamas

Jeanne is fast approaching.  Clouds are a dark boiling mass to our 
northeast, and winds have picked up in the last few minutes and are gusting 
from 25-30 mph.  Rain bands are coming in consistent intervals, with the 
breaks in between decreasing as each new band arrives.  The seas on the 
Caribbean side are heavy and coming out of the west.  Tighten up everyone.

Live from Gregory Town, this is Kimberly Morgan.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Briland Modem
<www.briland.com>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News and Information for Harbour Island & North Eleuthera, Bahamas
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[It's much better in the Out Islands.] - Coordinates: 25°30'N 76°38'W

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• From: "ghpsafari" <ghpsafari AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 06:29:48 -0400

• From: "Bridget Hogg" <adelphi AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 22:16:28 -0400

Sure, we say " Welcome to the Bahamas" but that doesn't mean storms!! Lady
Jeanne, the "Turn-Back Hurricane" is on the way back. In New Providence,
there is a cool, moderate breeze dancing in the air. At the Yamacraw Beach
area,the Go-Slow Bend and at Arawak Cay, the white capped waves crash
against the shore . Passing motorists are sprayed with seawater, and even
small rocks tossed up by the waves.
   A check of some hardware stores revealed that hurricane supplies were
still moving quickly off the shelves. I was unable to find C cell batteries,
slide bolts, shingles in several stores. People in Nassau are still making
repairs from Frances. Some, unable to get materials or workpersons, have
made temporary repairs with sheets of plywood, plastic, tarps etc. Shutters
remain installed on several buildings. In my area, homeowners removed some
shutters but have them nearby for quick installation. Piles of  post
hurricane debris lay in yards and along the roadsides awaiting removal.
    Residents that I have spoken to indicate that they have been at
semi-alert status since Frances. They learned from all the stress that came
from getting prepared for Frances. Water, canned goods, and other
preparations remain secure .
     I also spoke with some persons with friends/relatives in Grand Bahama.
Water, food, hygiene products, roofing materials etc. are still in short
supply. Various service groups and  corporate citizens in several islands
have started hurricane relief drives to assist those most affected by
Frances.
      Let us continue to  pray for those already affected during this storm
season, and for those yet to be touched.

• From: Jonna Riley <jonnariley AT yahoo.com>
• Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 17:09:32 -0700 (PDT)

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• From: Sandra Pitt <romperpitt AT yahoo.com>
• Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 15:12:01 -0700 (PDT)

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• From: "Anita Rolle" <anitarolle AT hotmail.com>
• Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 12:25:48 -0400

• From: Kimberly King-Burns <kkingburns AT convergenz.com>
• Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 07:02:14 -0700

Posted on Thu, Sep. 23, 2004
237fc7a.jpg


Miami Herald
Florida, the Bahamas placed on alert for Hurricane Jeanne

By MARTIN MERZER
<mailto:mmerzer@herald.com>mmerzer@herald.com

Forecasters issued a tropical storm watch for the central Bahamas and 
alerted residents of South and Central Florida this morning as Hurricane 
Jeanne edged closer to the area. They predicted landfall somewhere in 
Florida -- possibly South Florida -- by Sunday.

If so, Jeanne would become the fourth hurricane to strike the state during 
this deadly, destructive and freakish hurricane season.

''It would be no surprise to see Jeanne reach major hurricane status in 48 
to 72 hours . . .,'' said forecasters Jack Beven of the National Hurricane 
Center in West Miami-Dade County. ``Given the forecast of the steering 
currents, Florida should pay close attention to the evolution of Jeanne.''

He said the storm, already responsible for more than 1,000 deaths, mostly 
in Haiti, was expected to begin a steady approach toward the Bahamas and 
Florida.

This morning's official forecast showed the core of a Category 2 hurricane, 
with 110 mph winds, coming dangerously close to the area between Palm Beach 
and Vero Beach -- the same region struck by Hurricane Frances early this 
month -- veering north and making landfall around Cape Canaveral.

Forecasters emphasized, however, that such forecasts constantly change, 
that Florida's entire East Coast was in danger of a direct hit, and that 
Jeanne's outlying effects were likely to reach much of the state.

The local forecast for South Florida called for increasingly cloudiness and 
rain Friday night, with heavy rain and wind Saturday and Saturday night.

High surf and riptides already are sweeping South Florida's coastline, 
mostly in Palm Beach and Broward counties, and beach erosion has been reported.

At 5 a.m EDT, a tropical storm watch was issued for the central Bahamas, 
including Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador. A 
tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible in 
the watch area within 36 hours. Forecasters said a hurricane watch could be 
required for the northwestern Bahamas later today.

Meanwhile, Ivan returned -- call it Ivan2.

A resilient piece of Hurricane Ivan, the storm that viciously assaulted the 
Gulf Coast last week, looped over the Atlantic, passed over Florida, 
returned to the Gulf of Mexico, redeveloped into a tropical storm Wednesday 
and was punching the Louisiana and upper Texas Gulf Coasts with rain and 
wind this morning.

The center of reborn Tropical Storm Ivan was expected to make landfall near 
the Texas-Louisiana border tonight.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Briland Modem
<www.briland.com>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News and Information for Harbour Island & North Eleuthera, Bahamas
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[It's much better in the Out Islands.] - Coordinates: 25°30'N 76°38'W

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• From: Gert van Dijken <gert AT vandijken.com>
• Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 00:01:48 -0400 (EDT)

Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2004 21:03:38 -0400
From: Gaye Albury <sgaye_AT_batelnet.bs>

I will try to be specific on each inquiry that I have read on the site.

Abaco received minimal structural damage to buildings, mostly loss of
shingles and plenty water damage to homes and businesses. Little Harbour
is o.k. saw some of the residents and they are all fine. I believe Pete
is away at this time.
Hope Town/Elbow Cay received a lot of sand blasting the area near White
Sound was almost cut in two again. Fortunately there were no deaths or
serious injuries.

Nassau had minimal damage as the strong side of the hurricane was north
of it. Grand Bahama and especially Freeport and West End was devastated.
I am told that there were no more than three homes standing in West End.
Things are beginning to come together for Freeport, essential services
are being slowly restored.

The islands south of us fared much better than Abaco and Grand Bahama as
Frances stalled over us for 30 plus hours and we had 25-30 inches of
rain.

If you want more specific answers I will try to get them for you.

Jack

• From: "ghpsafari" <ghpsafari AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 09:42:38 -0400

• From: "ghpsafari" <ghpsafari AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 09:29:52 -0400

• From: Kimberly King-Burns <kkingburns AT convergenz.com>
• Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 12:53:19 -0700

Friday, September 17, 2004


<http://www.thenassauguardian.com/national_local//national_local/281470675418218.php>Hurricane
 
<http://www.thenassauguardian.com/national_local//national_local/281470675418218.php>Jeanne

Southeast Islands prepare
By TAMARA McKENZIE, Guardian Staff Reporter

Given only two weeks to revive from the blow dealt by Hurricane Frances, 
residents in the South-East Bahamas are somewhat baffled that a third 
hurricane is on the verge of hitting The Bahamas, They, however, are taking 
the necessary precautions to ensure safety of life and property.

A hurricane warning remained in effect on Thursday for the Turks and Caicos 
Islands and islands in the South-East Bahamas. These islands include: Great 
Inagua, Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Ragged Island and the Semana 
Cays. A hurricane watch was issued for the Central Bahamas, which includes 
Long Island, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Exuma, the Exuma Cays, Cat Island, 
South Eleuthera and South Andros, while a hurricane alert was issued for 
the remaining islands in the North West Bahamas. These include: New 
Providence, North Eleuthera, North Andros, the Berry Islands, Bimini, Grand 
Bahama and Abaco.

Hurricane alerts are issued in stages of: Alert, Watch, and Warning. An 
Alert lets residents know that storm conditions could be affecting parts of 
The Bahamas within 60 hours. A Watch is carried out when a storm is less 
than 36 hours away and a Warning is when a storm is less than 24 hours away.

As of 5:00 p.m. Thursday, Jeanne, the tenth named storm for the 2004 
Hurricane season, was downgraded to a tropical storm with highest winds 
near 70 miles per hour with gusts that could increase to hurricane force. 
Director of Meteorology, Arthur Rolle, said Jeanne had the potential to 
intensify once it moved over waters into the South-East Bahamas. Like 
Frances, forecasters are predicting that Jeanne would follow the same path 
as Hurricane Frances, which touched every island in The Bahamas.

The coordinates as of 5:00 p.m. placed Jeanne near Latitude 19.9 degrees 
north and Longitude 69.3 degrees west or 200 miles south east of the Turks 
and Caicos Islands, 290 miles, east south east of Inagua and 670 miles 
south east of New Providence. Jeanne was moving toward the west, near eight 
miles per hour and a turn to the northwest was expected overnight.

Mr Rolle mentioned that Jeanne, a category one hurricane on Wednesday, 
moved over mountains of Hispaniola and lost its strength. He added, 
however, that the system is back over water and may have regained its 
strength last night. Mr Rolle said residents in the South-East Bahamas 
should try and minimise whatever losses they can, having recently 
experienced the effects of Hurricane Frances. "We do not feel that they 
have overcome their ordeal, but we are hoping that they can do whatever 
they can to save whatever they can from potential flooding," he said, 
adding that Jeanne will bring more rain showers than Frances, therefore 
"considerable flooding" is expected in the southeastern islands.

According to the met director, September is the peak month for hurricanes, 
and to have several storms repeatedly formed within weeks, is not 
unnatural. He informed that as of today, another tropical depression may 
have formed, and another unnamed system is moving off the coast of Africa.

Turks and Caicos
On Thursday evening, residents in the Turks and Caicos had already battened 
down their homes and were stocking up on bottled water and other shelf 
items. According to the Met Office, the island should have experienced some 
hurricane force winds last night and early this morning. The Minister 
responsible for the Department of Disaster Management, Karen Delancy, said 
Hurricane Frances give Turks Islanders a good "exercise call" in terms of 
preparation, although the island was not directly hit.

"What we got was some wind and rain, but with Hurricane Jeanne, we are 
anticipating rain and lots of water, especially in our low lying areas and 
we may see some flooding," she said

Mayaguana
Mayaguana Administrator, Samuel Miller said as of Thursday, preparations 
were already in place on the island in anticipation of Jeanne. He said many 
of the residents did not remove their hurricane shutters since Hurricane 
Frances, therefore there was not much work to do in terms of securing houses.

"We have just completed a tour of the entire island along with NEMA local 
representative and the chief councilor to ensure there is full compliance," 
he said, adding that residents are concerned about having to brace 
themselves for another hurricane in such a short period of time. He said 
residents are waiting for supplies to carry out cosmetic work as a result 
of Hurricane Frances, and another hurricane may result in further damage to 
some certain structures.

Long Island
Long Island Administrator, Preston Cunningham, also mentioned that 
residents had "little to do" in terms of preparation for Hurricane Jeanne, 
as shutters remained battened to windows since Hurricane Frances. He also 
mentioned that two mailboats arrived at the island on Wednesday, therefore 
residents were able to secure basic items to prepare for the storm.

Mr Cunningham said since the passing of Hurricane Frances, Long Islanders 
seem to be more alert and are not taking any chances. He said they now 
realise that these storms can be "tricky" and can develop strength as they 
move. He added, however, that he had already touched base with shelter 
managers on the island and they were making sure that all shelters were 
ready and available.

Ragged Island
Ragged Island Administrator, Granville Hepburn was attending a meeting to 
discuss Hurricane Jeanne at the time he was contacted by The Guardian. He 
mentioned that everyone on the island had already battened up and all 
shelters were ready to be occupied. "We are just going through the motions 
here now and bringing the people together once again to let them know the 
seriousness of this situation," he said.

Meanwhile, The Bahamas Government is trying to come to grips with the 
devastation left behind by Hurricane Frances, especially on the island of 
Grand Bahama where hundreds were left homeless. Parts of the island still 
remain without electricity and telephone services, however, the government, 
The Bahamas Red Cross and other organisations and businesses have shipped 
food items and water to the island.

The government also reactivated the Disaster Relief Fund, which was 
initially established in 1992 as a result of the Hurricane Andrew's 
devastation. The fund gives immediate relief to those requiring the most 
assistance after a hurricane. It has been recently reactivated on several 
other occasions for national disasters - Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and 
Michelle in 2001. The fund is chaired by the Minister of State for Finance 
James Smith and the Regional Director of the Royal Bank of Canada Ross 
McDonald.

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<www.briland.com>
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• From: "ghpsafari" <ghpsafari AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 05:50:17 -0400

• From: Gert van Dijken <gert AT vandijken.com>
• Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 21:33:55 -0400 (EDT)

Source: Travel Weekly's Caribbean E-Letter - http://travelweekly.com

Sept. 16, 2004

HURRICANE IVAN ripped through the Caribbean last weekend and is scheduled
to make landfall somewhere along the Gulf Coast today. Tropical storm
Jeanne, nearing hurricane strength, eyed the northeastern Caribbean on
Wednesday. Meanwhile, relief efforts are underway for the Cayman Islands,
Grenada and Jamaica; information is posted on each destination's Web
site: www.caymanislands.ky; www.grenadagrenadines.com; and
www.visitjamaica.com. In addition, the Caribbean Tourism Organization
[www.onecaribbean.org] and the Caribbean Hotel Association
[www.caribbeanhotels.org] have spearheaded relief efforts. Caribbean Star
Airlines launched an initiative with a number of musicians who recorded a
song dedicated to Grenada; proceeds from the sales of the CD and $2 from
each Caribbean Star ticket sold in the next two months will be earmarked
for Grenada relief. Cayman Airways is operating emergency relief flights
on a limited basis into Grand Cayman; Air Jamaica flew 30,000 pounds of
supplies into Kingston, Jamaica, on a special relief flight Sept. 13. The
airport there, as well as in Montego Bay, Jamaica, is open for business.
HERE'S A PARTIAL RECAP throughout the region:

i Bahamas . Club Med Columbus Isle on San Salvador, Bahamas will reopen
Dec. 18 when it completes storm repairs from Hurricane Frances --
remember that one?

*
**
*** Gert van Dijken ( gert@vandijken.com )
**** Caribbean Hurricane Network - http://stormcarib.com/

• From: "angela culmer" <angelaculmer AT msn.com>
• Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 19:18:51 -0400

Nassau The Bahamas
Hello There,
I cannot believe it yet again another hurricane ,we have recovered from our 
experiences and now off we go again!!!.The food store was busy and once 
again we are searching for water.I really feel for the people living on 
Grand Bahama island . I just hope and pray that we donot get to much 
rain!!Famous last words. Will keep in touch.
A.Culmer

_________________________________________________________________
MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. 
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus

• From: "Connie Giacocbbe" <conyin AT runbox.com>
• Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 17:33:10 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

• From: Gert van Dijken <gert AT vandijken.com>
• Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 14:41:43 -0400 (EDT)

Found on the Pleas for Help forum:

    Re: Pictures and Word From Grand Bahama
   Author: johanna (---.7.3.213.fix.bluewin.ch)
   Date:   09-16-04 04:18

   The Freeport News is online again, since Sept 14.
   There were a lot of photos in the printed edition of Sept 14, you can
   view them on-line n the pdf-edition:
   http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/
   Online PDF
   "Jump to Edition" pick "September 14"

   for "Words from Grand Bahama"
   Go to the Geographia/Grand Bahama Forum.
   http://www.geographia.com/guestbook/gbahama/ (or
   http://f27.parsimony.net/forum67650/)

   Use the search function to find info about a particular place or
   person. If you can't find it, post a message to "Janice" who is a
   wealth of information.
   hope this helps



*
**
*** Gert van Dijken ( gert@vandijken.com )
**** Caribbean Hurricane Network - http://stormcarib.com/

• From: Kimberly King-Burns <kkingburns AT convergenz.com>
• Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 09:22:01 -0700

11 AM AST THU SEP 16 2004

...HURRICANE WARNING ISSUED FOR SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS AS JEANNE SCRAPES THE 
NORTHERN COAST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...

AT 11 AM AST...1500Z...THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BAHAMAS HAS ISSUED A HURRICANE 
WARNING FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS...INCLUDING THE ACKLINS...CROOKED 
ISLAND...THE INAGUAS...MAYAGUANA...AND THE RAGGED ISLANDS...AS WELL AS FOR 
THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

AT 11 AM AST...THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BAHAMAS HAS ALSO ISSUED A HURRICANE 
WATCH FOR THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS...INCLUDING CAT ISLAND...THE EXUMAS...LONG 
ISLAND...RUM CAY...AND SAN SALVADOR.

AT 11 AM AST...1500Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE JEANNE WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 18.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 68.7 WEST OR ABOUT 80 MILES...
130 KM...EAST-NORTHEAST OF SANTO DOMINGO IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

JEANNE IS MOVING JUST NORTH OF DUE WEST NEAR  7 MPH
...11 KM/HR.  A WEST-NORTHWESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT
24 HOURS.  ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF JEANNE IS EXPECTED
TO REMAIN NEAR OR JUST INLAND OF THE NORTHERN COAST OF THE
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FOR MUCH OF THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR  80 MPH...130 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  JEANNE IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN TO A TROPICAL STORM DURING THE
NEXT 24 HOURS AS A RESULT OF ITS ENCOUNTER WITH HISPANIOLA...BUT
SHOULD REGAIN HURRICANE STRENGTH ON FRIDAY.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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<www.briland.com>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News and Information for Harbour Island & North Eleuthera, Bahamas
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[It's much better in the Out Islands.] - Coordinates: 25°30'N 76°38'W

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• From: "ghpsafari" <ghpsafari AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2004 07:49:40 -0400

• From: stolidref <stolidref AT yahoo.fr>
• Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 20:02:28 +0200 (CEST)

• From: Lilnonna AT aol.com
• Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2004 10:24:13 EDT

• From: "Bridget Hogg" <adelphi AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2004 01:01:14 -0400

NEW PROVIDENCE Frances has left the country . The awesome task of clean up
has begun around the nation. New Providence, where the capital of Nassau is
located, suffered moderate damage to some buildings. Houses near Go-Slow
bend were flooded and washed with sand. Large trees were uprooted or broken
up all over the island. Fortunately the island was subjected to less intense
conditions than some of the others.

  Utilities :
Power , telephone and cable services have been restored to a large portion
of suscribers.  We are currently on water restriction , with water pressure
being significantly reduced at times.

Transportation :
Nassau Airport is open for business again. Businesses have , for the large
part reopened. The local bus ( Jitney) system is running regular routes.

Misc.
A large crowd was observed at one hardware and lumber business on Prince
Charles, where homeowners gathered to purchase good for home repair. The
Malls were also full of storm weary residents, purchasing supplies , but
also getting more back to school shopping done.

Schools:
Government schools remain closed, while damage assessments and repairs are
conducted. Some private schools will open later this week .The College of
The Bahamas Nassau Campus reopened today.
One of the local papers , The Nassau Guardian. provides a good overall
review of the affected islands. You can check their online edition for
details   , thenassauguardian.com

Hotels:
So far I have heard no news about major damage in any of the larger  (50
rooms +) hotels. They are open for business and eager to have guests.

GRANDBAHAMA
There was severe flooding and property damage in West End, resulting in the
emergency evacuation of residents.Telephone service to the island is
currently being restored.The airport was flooded and damaged.


Reports are still coming from all over the Bahamas.

• From: Sandra Pitt <romperpitt AT yahoo.com>
• Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2004 16:33:29 -0700 (PDT)

• From: Kimberly King-Burns <kkingburns AT convergenz.com>
• Date: Tue, 07 Sep 2004 16:28:33 -0700

FRANCES' FURY





VANESSA C. ROLLE,Guardian Staff Reporter

If "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," then someone must have made 
Hurricane Frances really mad.

Frolicking around The Bahama Islands with a beating stick packed with 
fierce winds and rain, Frances acted like a woman stalking a bad man.

She was an unruly tourist who aggravated Bahamians by staying for a whole 
week, destroying things that really did not belong to her.

And linger she did with winds up to 135 miles per hour and moving at 16 
miles per hour, then 6, then four,...it seemed as if she stopped to have a 
few daiquiris and conch fritters at the Fish Fry - Twin Brothers probably - 
before making her way out of the archipelagic chain.

Name any inhabited island of The Bahamas, and Hurricane Frances made the 
trip - knocking down lamp poles, flooding streets and homes, drumming on 
rooftops with heavy rain showers, and pummeling windows and walls with 
winds that seemed to have Samson's DNA.

Frances was furious, and likewise are thousands of Bahamians who have been 
left without electricity, water, telephone service - after they almost 
depleted their bank accounts having to buy food, plywood, and batteries. 
One would think the locals would be thankful for several days off, but I 
think if the majority could have been stuck in their regular weekend party 
spots, they wouldn't have wanted Frances to leave.

But for the families of those who perished and received injuries as a 
result of the hurricane, I'll bet they wished that they could have turned 
back "the hands of time." The hurt is fathomless, and the price of Frances' 
arrival too great. The family of 18-year-old Kenrad Delaney, who was 
electrocuted trying to repair a generator during the hurricane, is probably 
feeling something far greater than the rest of the country can ever 
imagine. But the nation today is filled with compassion and love for them, 
for the pain of not having electricity or telephone service can never 
compare to the loss of a life.

Yes, the Bahama Islands took a good whippin' from Hurricane Frances, but as 
history records, we can bounce back even better.....and better.....and better.

She really was a strong and mighty woman who tried knocking everything out 
of her way...on her way to Florida when she finally decided to become a 
tropical storm. Go figure!!

According to a report by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on 
Saturday, in New Providence, apart from there being no electricity and 
telephone services, trees were blocking Dumping Ground Corner and Fox Hill 
Road, and trees and poles were also down in Montagu. The roof caved in at 
the Bethsada United Missionary Baptist church, and persons had to be moved 
to the Calvary Deliverance shelter. Traffic lights were hanging dangerously 
at some intersections, but that didn't make a difference because everyone 
was advised not to be on the streets.

In Freeport, Grand Bahama, Queen's Cove was totally underwater, and 
personnel had to be taken to higher ground. Persons were also advised to 
evacuate low lying areas. The airport was under six-foot of water; 500 
persons were evacuated from the Hawksbill area, adding to the 1,200 persons 
who occupied the shelters. In fact there was a massive evacuation effort 
from the low-lying areas. There was much roof damage in certain areas, and 
electrical and telephone services came to a halt. One person was also 
reported missing on that island.

In West End Grand Bahama, a rescue effort was conducted at Homes Rock and 
West End due to flooding. Electricity poles were down, and there was no 
telephone service. The roof was blown off from the barracks at Hanna Hill, 
and the area of the Fishing Hole was completely flooded. Residents of 
Queens Cove - as well as weather personnel - had to be evacuated . One 
person was also reported missing.

The island of Abaco, thankfully, did not have any loss of life, but 
ironically, a part of the roof used as the Emergency Operations Center 
collapsed, causing minor injuries to occupants. In Sandy Point, there was 
flooding and property damage to roofs, and some roofs were blown off in the 
Crossing Rock area. There were also several persons injured after the 
Cooper's Town Clinic's roof collapsed. The injured were airlifted to the 
Princess Margaret Hospital on Sunday assisted by the United States Coast 
Guard. Preliminary assessments also revealed there was major damage in the 
Treasure Cay area. Many boats also broke away from anchors. There was also 
a tremendous amount of flood lines in various communities on the cays from 
Guana Cay to Little Harbour.

In Acklins and Crooked Island/ Long Cay, the dock was washed away, and 
there was much flooding, fallen trees, and debris from sea surge. The 
utility poles were down in Chesters Bay. There was also Minor damage to the 
High School and the Government Clinic but no damage to the airport.

In Harbour Island, there was flooding, fallen trees, and electrical lines 
were down. Although the shelters were full, damage to the roofs were 
reported. There was minor damage to the clinic, as the roof was leaking.

In Central Eleuthera , the shelter at Governor's Harbour Primary school was 
closed, and occupants were moved to Worker's House. Phillip Bethel Shopping 
Center received major damage and had its roof blown off. Lawrence Griffin 
Esso Service Station's gas pumps and roof were blown away, and the police 
station at Governor's Harbour was under 10-foot of water and was evacuated. 
Some 300 persons had to be evacuated to various shelters.

In South Eleuthera, there were six operational shelters, and there was no 
electricity in the area . The roof at Green Castle and Rock Sound schools 
were damaged. There was also minimum damage to government buildings.

In North Eleuthera, there was general flooding, and Jane Bay Dock was 
underwater, making it impossible for residents to travel to the mainland. 
Queen's Highway was flooded, and North Eleuthera residents could not access 
South Eleuthera.

There was flooding in the northern part of Cat Island, and several homes 
had minor roof damage. Coastal erosions and debris made the roads 
impassable. Residents had no electrical power nor telephone services.

In Exuma, a portion of the roof at the Packing House in Mt. Thompson blew 
off, and the water supply ceased.

In Bimini/Cat Cay, the Anglican school building which was used as a shelter 
had to be evacuated. Evacuees were housed in Bub Hall. Major roads were 
covered with debris. No damage was done to Government buildings or the 
clinics.

North Andros experienced heavy winds which knocked utility poles and trees 
down. The island also experienced some flooding. The electricity was off in 
Morgan's Bluff. The oil barge broke away from the mooring, running aground 
in the cove.

Long Island also experienced some flooding from a four-foot storm surge. 
There were also power outages.

In Inagua, there were sunken boats at Government Dock, and the roads were 
filled with debris.

Trees were down in Mayaguana, but a matter of real concern was that the 
main road leading to the major dock had a crack that spanned 100-150-foot , 
2-3-foot wide and 2-3-foot deep. The roads were blocked because of the 
fallen trees.

There was a potential for flooding in San Salvador at Halls Landing near 
the sea wall. There was major damage to some of the homes. Approximately 
100 homes were damaged, leaving five families homeless. Sixty homes were 
partially damaged. One house was completely destroyed. Eighty per cent of 
Club Med's roof was moderately damaged, and there is an estimated $60,000 
damage at the field station. The primary and the high schools have been 
damaged. Shelters were operational with 98 per cent of United Estates 
staying in the shelter. At the St James Baptist church in North Victoria, 
some 50 percent of the population stayed at the shelter. Two government 
schools were damaged, and power and phone lines were down.  

• From: "angela culmer" <angelaculmer AT msn.com>
• Date: Tue, 07 Sep 2004 06:08:44 -0400

Report from Nassau, New Providence.
Thank you everyone who showed concern and sent wonderful wishes and prayers 
it was truely appreciated. It was a pretty scay expereience which was made 
easier by the 24 hour coverage fron ZNS radio.It gave us a true picture of 
exactly what was happening.We did not suffer much damage just some shingles 
and we consider ourselves very lucky as Grand Bahama really suffered 
especially as it lingered for so long.We heard reports of families being 
stuck on roofs and their roofs collapsing. People sufferd lacerations and 
one of the ministers actually stayed with his constituents in a dangerous 
part of the island as it was by the water to support them. I heard many 
people leaving the safety of their shelter to try to assist those in 
distress.
So I am grateful that our experience was not that harrowing and we pray for 
those In the family islands


A. Culmer

_________________________________________________________________
STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* 
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

• From: Kimberly King-Burns <kkingburns AT convergenz.com>
• Date: Mon, 06 Sep 2004 16:34:04 -0700

Bahamas Wary Of Ivan In The Wake Of Frances [Nassau Tribune]

Stunned Bahamians just getting over the shock of Hurricane Frances are 
being urged to keep a close eye on Hurricane Ivan.  With floods still 
preventing planes from landing in Freeport, a view from the air was the 
closest that could be managed yesterday.

Nassau got off lightly in Hurricane Frances compared with the nation's 
second city, Freeport, which has been one of the worst hit areas, suffering 
severe devastation. The Tribune flew over Grand Bahama and Abaco yesterday 
to survey the damage.

With airports closed, harbours damaged, roads flooded, power lines down and 
telephones cut off, many settlements in both Grand Bahama and Abaco have 
been isolated from each other, and the islands are cut off from the outside 
world.

Stunned Bahamians just getting over the shock of Hurricane Frances are 
being urged to keep a close eye on Hurricane Ivan, a category four storm 
that could make its presence felt in the Bahamas as early as Friday 
morning, the Met Office reported yesterday.

Source: The Tribune

• From: "Susanne Gensmann" <s.gensmann AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2004 15:23:07 -0400

• From: "Mark Pertuiset" <captmark AT batelnet.bs>
• Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2004 14:39:47 -0400

• From: "William J. Coates" <wjc AT offshorerisk.com>
• Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2004 09:41:44 -0400

-----Original Message-----
From: William J. Coates [mailto:wjc@offshorerisk.com] 
Sent: Monday, September 06, 2004 09:05
To: 'Gert van Dijken'
Subject: RE: Gregory Town, Eleuthera

Spoke with Eleuthera. Electric still out as are phones. Glass Window bridge
intact but road North of bridge strewn with debris. Suspect most boulders
and big stuff. If I can get over I will take my backhoe up and clear it
away., but I am in the Keys and bracing for Ivan, the Terrible.
Will advise more soonest.

William J. Coates (wjc@offshorerisk.com)
Offshore Risk Management
www.offshorerisk.com Click here for contact information
No coverage is bound or in force unless confirmed in writing by this office

• From: "William J. Coates" <wjc AT offshorerisk.com>
• Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2004 13:36:36 -0400

• From: stolidref <stolidref AT yahoo.fr>
• Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2004 02:40:12 +0200 (CEST)

IVAN WARNING 14.jpg

• From: Gert van Dijken <gert AT vandijken.com>
• Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2004 12:25:34 -0400 (EDT)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2004 06:44:20 EDT
From: Crwslw AT aol.com

You might want to post the following message from my big sister Barbara on
Highborne Caye in the Exumas:

From: barbara <highborne AT earthlink.net>
To: dotef AT juno.com
Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2004 07:32:11 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
Subject: Francis

Mom..please forward this to everyone who you can, I can't get into my
address book..it is 7:30am Sat..and it has died down to about 40mph and
we will be moving home soon, but staying ready while watchin Tropical
Storm Ivan..Update from paradise...8PM Friday night...Itmiliar?) until about
8pm last night
when it changed course from 290 to 310 which made a difference of 40
miles by the time it got to us so we only caught the edge of the eye.
Donwas well over 100mph around 7am
and has switched all the way around and itseems to have stopped and is
probably
going to last all night?  NOAA  says it is entlessly ravaging and
pummeling but we have been out and checked on things a couple of
times and the staff houses and trailers are still standing and the power
station and store are okay. The dock house is taking a beating and the
north house is okay on the front side anyway. Cat and Dale at McDuffs are
fine and Dan and Chad and Leroy.  The Champaign Lady reports from the
pond at Normans that the and boom. The houseboats didnas low tide at the
worst so
none of the boats in the harbour got to much damage...mostley canvass,
hard tops, antennas and rub rail...no one hit the dock to hard as Ian
helped them tie their boats up really well..POR and Arasay(the people
went off on Thursday) were on the south dock... a small sail boat from
Ship Channel with the owner is in #1 and on Thurs the Sea Dragon(a dive
boat from Fl) Showed up with 8 tourist and their 4 dogs.  They stayed on
the boat on the north dock.. We moved into the new store bldg on Thurs at
6PM.  Made little cubicles with the cabinets (still no shelves) for
privacy, some doubles and some singles as there are 15 people, 3 dogs, 1
cat and 1 birdcely.  There is a kitchen in the
back room with enough food to feed an army, even popcorn and video, all
the comforts of home including ac and internet to plot the course. Set up
a head in the liquor room with buckets and sand..quite civilized, even
has a door!! Hotel Francis..  We have taken lots of pics and I will send
some later..Staying the night again to avoid injury so just finished
dinner of beef stew(by Armour)and bread, chips & salsa, cheese &
crackers, salad and ice cream with crumbled Twix for desert. See it
headed toward all our friends in Florida.  Thinking of you and wish you
well..let us know how you fare..more later, love b

• From: Kimberly King-Burns <kkingburns AT convergenz.com>
• Date: Sat, 04 Sep 2004 18:12:58 -0700

"I received much more information about hurricanes from ZNS than any 
weather channel in the states, and the faith of the Bahamians is amazing 
... and gives us all hope." -- Judie Reynolds, of Miss Eula's house beside 
The Harbour Lounge [Harbour Island]

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News and Information for Harbour Island & North Eleuthera, Bahamas
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• From: Kimberly King-Burns <kkingburns AT convergenz.com>
• Date: Sat, 04 Sep 2004 16:28:27 -0700

Today's storm news from the scene:

Sep 4th, 07:15p EST – From Ben Knox, on Harbour Island:
As you haven’t been getting many reports from Harbour Island, I thought I 
would send you this.

I took a drive around Dunmore town earlier today and also walked along the 
beach.

 From what I saw, there didn’t appear to be any major structural damage to 
building, mainly things like roof tiles coming off, and wooden verandas and 
fences have been broken or blown down. The roads seemed to have mostly been 
cleared, and people were getting on with clearing the fallen trees and 
branches from their properties and making repairs. I saw a few street 
lights smashed on the ground, and quite a lot of power lines and telephone 
lines trailing across roads. Trees and branches are down all over the place.

On the beach, there has been a lot of erosion. Where there used to be sandy 
slopes down to the beach from properties and hotels, there are now ‘cliffs’ 
where the sand has been gouged out by the sea. Many of the wooden stairs 
from properties down to the beach have been damaged or have the lower 
sections missing. Also many of the palm leaf “umbrellas” along the beach 
have gone (though Coral Sands Hotel’s ones seemed to still be there). The 
beach does look very pristine now as all the old seaweed that builds up on 
it has washed away.

Today has had some quite high winds still and big gusts from time to time. 
The winds seem particularly high along the beach where it feels like your 
legs are being sand-blasted when you walk there. The sea is still quite 
rough. There have also been also intermittent squalls of rain and it has 
been very cloudy all day. At about 5.30pm, we started having a thunder and 
lightning storm with periods of very heavy rain.

Power is still out and phones still not working.

Hope this is of interest.

Regards,
Ben

Posted by:
Sep 4th 2004, 05:26:08 pm - Fig Tree News Team
Thanks for your patience. In the meantime, here are Eleuthera and Harbour 
Island-related excerps from CEDRA that offers general detail of the islands 
[the entire report can be read at the briland.com messageboard]:

CEDRA Situation Report #4 - Hurricane Frances - Sep 4, 2004, 14:00 pm

North Eleuthera - Affected by winds in excess of 100 mph. Power down. No 
land base phone contact with Spanish Wells, N. Eleuthera and S. Eleuthera 
as fiber lines broken. General environmental damage and structural damage.

Harbour Island – Affected by 100 mph winds which caused widespread 
environmental damage and downed power lines. All public shelters filled. 
Roofing damage. No injuries reported. Roads impassable.

Central Eleuthera - Governor's Harbour sustained heavy flooding and some 
structural damage.

Hatchet Bay - heavy flooding and some structural damage, no electricity.

South Eleuthera - General flooding and structural damage, no electricity.

Sep 4th 2004, 01:26:08 pm - Fig Tree News Team
Thanks for your patience ... as any word comes in, it'll be posted here. As 
it stands, there's a lot over cloud cover over the island right now, which 
is most certainly hampering any post-storm satellite communications.

If you hear anything on your end, please post here or send to 
info@briland.com.

More news later ...
Eleu.net Deserted Beach News
Fig Tree News Team at Briland.com
and an awesome network of satcom/ham and cell correspondents

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News and Information for Harbour Island & North Eleuthera, Bahamas
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• From: Kimberly King-Burns <kkingburns AT convergenz.com>
• Date: Sat, 04 Sep 2004 14:14:53 -0700

Hi, guys:
I completely understand your frustration, but at this point there's really 
little point in inquiring about individual towns, properties until the 
communications kick back in, as we're feeding you all of the news as it 
comes in.  Thanks for your patience.  In the meantime, here's the latest 
report from CEDRA that offers general detail of the islands:

CEDRA Situation Report #4 - Hurricane Frances - Sep 4, 2004, 14:00 pm

The Event: At 11:00am Eastern Caribbean Time, Hurricane Frances was located 
near the Island of Grand Bahama in the Northwestern Bahamas. A hurricane 
Warning for the Northwestern Bahamas continues to be in effect.

The Prognosis: Hurricane Frances slowed considerably overnight whilst 
continuing to impact the Northwestern Bahamas. It is expected to continue 
to drench the Northwestern areas with torrential rainfall for the remainder 
of today. The weather conditions in the central Bahamas continues to improve.

Status of RRM: The Regional Response Mechanism is activated. Caribbean 
Disaster Relief Unit (CDRU) on Standby

The Situation – BAHAMAS
The following update was provided by the National Emergency Management 
Agency’s (NEMA) EOC at September 4, 2003:

Mayaguana - Electricity has been restored to the island.

Acklins/Crooked Island/Long Cay – Flooding, minor damage to High School, 
homes, and the Government Clinic. There is damage to the dock in Spring Point.

Long Island - Power is intermittent. There are fallen trees and flooding. 
Clean up underway.

Exuma - Weather conditions improving. Water supply restored.

San Salvador / Rum Cay – Five families homeless, another 100 have sustained 
damage to their homes. Damage to two Government schools, and other 
Government buildings; localised flooding. Power out, phone lines down. No 
loss of life.

North Eleuthera - Affected by winds in excess of 100 mph. Power down. No 
land base phone contact with Spanish Wells, N. Eleuthera and S. Eleuthera 
as fiber lines broken. General environmental damage and structural damage.

Harbour Island – Affected by 100 mph winds which caused widespread 
environmental damage and downed power lines. All public shelters filled. 
Roofing damage. No injuries reported. Roads impassable.

Central Eleuthera - Governor's Harbour sustained heavy flooding and some 
structural damage.

Hatchet Bay - heavy flooding and some structural damage, no electricity.

South Eleuthera - General flooding and structural damage, no electricity.

Cat Island - No water, no light, broken gas lines. Environmental damage.

North Andros - Utility poles are down, trees down, flooding, no injuries, 
no electricity.

Electricity is now on in some areas AA

Central Andros – Minimal impact. Telecommunication and electricity available.

South Andros / Mangrove Cay - No major damages. Few roofs have loose 
shingles. One floating dock in Driggs Hill broke away.

New Providence - Trees down blocking Dumping Ground Corner. Roof caved in 
at Shelter at Bethsheda United Missionary Baptist church, no injuries 
reported. Occupants moved to Calvary Deliverance Shelter. Cunningham closed 
off at Kemp Road across from Urich McPhee School Library. Mia Dean and Nay 
Dean (sister ships) aground at Rose Island. Two elderly persons aboard Mia 
Dean assisted by Defence Force (harbor patrol). Traffic Light Dangerously 
Hanging on Thompson Blvd. Corner West of Harbour Bay Centre Blocked by 
Trees. Trees and poles are down at Montague, number of electrical lines 
down in Fox Hill Area. Public Information Officer is working with the media 
to notify the public to continue to stay in doors until otherwise advised.

Nassau International Airport - NIA is up and running. Flights are being 
accepted.

Berry Islands - Power lines down and roof damage in Great Harbour Cay.

Abaco - In Central Abaco strong winds and torrential rain. In South Abaco 
cell phones and land phones are down; there is no electricity, contact 
being maintained with NEMA via satellite phone. In North Abaco part of the 
roof at the Government building which was used as the EOC collapsed and 
caused minor injuries. There are no utilities in North Abaco.

East Grand Bahama – No damage assessment as yet.

West Grand Bahama - Flooding in West End; electricity poles are down and 
there is no electricity as well as no phones. Roof blown off from barracks 
at H